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Nissan is starting with a truly ground up design – the Nissan NV (Nissan Van).

“The new kid on the block, as it turns out, is also a long-time player in the global commercial vehicle market. As the first non-domestic nameplate to design, manufacture and sell CVs in the United States, we bring a more than seven-decade tradition of durability, quality and reliability to our products,” said Joe Castelli, vice president, Commercial Vehicles and Fleet, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA). “At the same time, we’ve taken a fresh look at every aspect of the CV business – including styling, powertrain, interiors, cost of operation and ownership, dealership sales and service operations and, most importantly, real world customer needs.”

The first production models in Nissan’s new U.S. commercial vehicle lineup are the 2012 Nissan NV1500, NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD. They will be available with a choice of 4.0-liter V6 and 5.6-liter V8 engines and in two body styles, Standard Roof (all models) and High Roof (NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD only) – with High Roof models offering stand-up walkthrough/work cargo area capability.

“It’s been too many years since any manufacturer in this segment has taken a ‘clean sheet’ look at the needs of owners and operators in the CV segment,” said Castelli. “We’ve invested more than five years researching the comfort, style and smart functionality demands that will enable business owners to accomplish more throughout their day. We plan on coming out of the box with segment-busting vehicles, so customer input was essential.”

Comfortable Seating and Standing
In developing the new Nissan NV, one of the overarching goals was to combine pickup truck-like comfort, interior amenities and drivability with a cargo van’s capacity and security.

“Looking at the CV market in recent years, there’s been a migration of van users to light-duty pickups due to the lack of comfort, image and dependability of the current outdated van platforms,” explained Castelli. “Yet many of these truck owners admit they need a van for weather protection, security and the convenience of a tall roof van to carry large items or equipment. With the Nissan NV, we’re giving them the best of both worlds.”

The Nissan NV interior starts with wide front doors, supportive bucket seating, large armrests and a truck-like driving position with ample legroom and foot room. The available center console (removable) provides a range of integrated storage features, while the fold-down passenger seat – which is unique to the segment – adds worktable functionality and enhances the cab’s feeling of openness.

Another major contributor to the pickup-like cab is the absence of the traditional van engine “doghouse” that intrudes into the cab due to the setback engine placement. The Nissan NV utilizes a conventional truck engine layout with out-front engine design. This not only frees up space under the instrument panel and between the seats, it also provides easy under-hood access to the entire engine for routine service and maintenance.

“From the seats forward the NV looks, acts and feels like a pickup. You don’t have to take apart the interior to access the engine and you don’t have to worry about tucking your work boots into a cramped footwell,” said Castelli. “But, make no mistake, behind the seats the NV is a pure, practical van.”

The NV’s ample cargo area offers a 120.0-inch cargo floor length and 70.2-inch maximum cargo floor width. NV Standard Roof models offer a maximum 55.8 cargo area height, among the tallest in class. The NV High Roof provides a maximum 76.9-inches of cargo room height – enough for most users to move about the cargo area while standing up straight.

Smart Functionality and Flexible Layout
The Nissan NV is a “mobile office,” offering under seat drawers, overhead consoles, a charging point for computers and phones, and more.

Additionally, the Nissan NV is designed to function as a “mobile workshop” – thanks to its simple, flexible cargo area layout. Along with offering wide door openings, the NV offers room between the wheelhouses to accommodate standard plywood or drywall sheets or pallets. There are also a range of cargo area tie-down rings and ample cargo area lighting.
Production Begins
Production of the all-new Nissan NV began yesterday at the Mississippi Assembly Facility.

“Nissan has been a leading innovator in commercial vehicles around the world for more than 75 years,” said Nissan Americas Chairman Carlos Tavares. “It’s with great pride that Nissan now enters the commercial vehicle market in the United States and Canada with the dynamic lineup of innovative, high quality Nissan NV vans built right here in Mississippi.”

Nissan also announced the donation of a new 2012 Nissan NV to Habitat for Humanity of Metro Jackson, MS for their use in building new homes in the Canton – Jackson region. Over the past five years, Nissan has provided over $5 million in grant money and in-kind donations to Habitat for Humanity, and over 5,000 Nissan team members have volunteered in more than 25 home builds across the United States.

“Since we think the Nissan NV is ideally suited for use by contractors such as home builders, we’ve decided to let Habitat for Humanity put it to the test in the real world,” said Tavares.